Below is a rather lengthy post. If you are interested in the subject, do my one favor – read it completely and thoroughly. Consider the arguments and the necessity for the church to be on the front line of racial reconciliation discussions.
Preview
The discussion I undertake in this post is born out of a personal conversation with a friend. Below I will outline some important context to this discussion, but I want to be clear – there is a lot of conversation these days about racial reconciliation in the evangelical community, generally, and in the Southern Baptist Convention, specifically. Any discussion on racial reconciliation and the gospel, generally, lends itself to a fairly heated debate and the drawing of sides.
At the onset, I want to be clear – my purpose is not to question the motives of any. Quite frankly, while I feel that some of the discussion is erroneous, I do believe that many of the leading advocates are endeavoring in a genuine and sincere attempt at being faithful to the biblical text.
My purpose is to speak biblically, as well as from experience, about the proper approach to racial reconciliation so that the church of God may be as diverse as the Church of God, for the glory of God, to the praise of God.
My purpose is to speak as a pastor to his sheep and any others who might want to consider the subject. I am watching an unfortunate trend among young people. One by one, they graduate high school and go to college, in some cases they are going to evangelical institutions. They return after a semester and find themselves “woke.” I appreciate the college experience. My college years were fundamental in the formation of my theology. I loved learning things my pastor had never preached about. I craved, as a Biblical Studies (theology) major, learning new truth, being challenged on what I believed, and being forced to grapple with some of life’s most difficult questions. As a pastor, however, it is disappointing to be pointing these young men and women to the truth of God’s Word and then be undermined (at times) by leaders in the convention/denomination I serve and love.
The issues outlined below are not political. They are not Republican or Democrat, they are not one wing of the SBC against another, nor are they one denomination positioned against another. I have done my best to point the reader to the simplicity of resolving an old problem – solving racial reconciliation God’s way.
I pray this discussion is helpful…helpful in your personal walk with Christ, as you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
One Word of Caution…
This post is not intended to deal with some particular issues, such as the Christian response to: refugees, immigration, reparations, government responsibility in racial reconciliation, political movements, and more. It is not that these subjects are unimportant, nor that they should not be considered by the conscientious believer in Jesus.
By necessity, I have attempted to make this post as brief as possible…I have failed. Lol.
Every time I quit writing, I realize I have forgotten to address another issue…I have gone back, rewritten, eliminated, and reformed this post so many times! This blog post is meant to address a central issue generally, with some specificity to the current SBC conversation – “How does the church/Church proceed toward biblical racial reconciliation?”
Context
I serve a wonderful SBC congregation in Sedalia, Mo – Cornerstone Baptist Church. We have been speaking about biblical racial reconciliation for many years, long before it was popular on Twitter, “trending,” or “woke.” Almost four years ago now, we hosted a man – Dr. Robert Loggins, an African American pastor/teacher/evangelist – who would later become one of our pastors, at our church and provided a free event to our community at the local junior high school, where we addressed this subject. The event was not largely attended (maybe 125 people or so), but it was attended by local administrators, people of faith, and even the local chapter of the NAACP.
One year after this event, our church called Dr. Loggins to come as an Executive Pastor of Ministry and Missions. I’m so thankful for his leadership in our local church. It was he who recently approached me about speaking on this subject. He said, “Pastor, you are uniquely qualified to speak on racial reconciliation for such a time as this.” He is really pushing me to address this on the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention Meeting. To be honest, I do not feel unique, nor do I feel “qualified.” Whether or not this post will be my lone contribution or whether we may do some preaching series on the subject at our church is yet to be determined. But I felt writing was a good starting point. So, it is with his prodding and leadership and a profound sense of responsibility that I endeavor…
So that I disclose all pertinent information, briefly let me describe our church. CBC is a diverse congregation, but the predominate membership is white, Caucasian. During a recent review of our membership and regular attenders, we found our composition as follows:
- 25% of our community is Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, and Moldavian). – We currently simulcast our services in the Russian language.
- 3% black.
- 3% Chinese, Korean, and Indian.
- 1 Sudanese American family.
- The remaining majority percentage being white, British/European.
- For reference, we have six pastors (3 full-time vocational pastors and 3 lay-pastors). Four pastors are white British/European, 1 black pastor, and 1 Slavic pastor.
Now…the moment I release those numbers, I have a fear. Some may suggest that I have no ability to speak on racial reconciliation because my church demographic does not represent enough minorities. I believe this is a short-sighted view. I believe my friend who challenged me to speak, believes this is a short-sighted view. Simply put, we have God’s Word. God’s Word is his inerrant and sufficient revelation to His people. And in His Word, He speaks clearly. He speaks about everything from the creation of ethnicities, to the divide of peoples, to the reconciliation offered in Christ. Therefore, if we will commit ourselves to His Word, if I will commit to His Word…we will find the answer to one of the greatest evils of our society – one we have collectively grappled with for thousands of years.
Current Evangelical Climate, with Specific Reference to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)
Over the last 13 years, the SBC has been spending a great deal of time speaking about racial reconciliation. Personally, I believe that this discussion is good, though I believe we have often been misguided and erroneous in our approach.
Since 2007, the SBC has passed 9 specific resolutions denouncing racism and 7 additional resolutions dealing with parallel issues (white nationalism, Critical Race Theory, and more). For those that don’t know or are unfamiliar with SBC polity, a “resolution” is nonbinding – it is an expressed sentiment of the majority of SBC messengers. Simply put, a resolution is meant to state where Southern Baptists stand on particular issues, such as abortion, racism, tax law, and so much more. Given our history as a convention, I am honored to be a part of a convention of churches (denomination) that has been actively seeking diversity and speaking to the sins of our past. I believe such discussions have given us an opportunity – showing a lost world that believers can collectively come together, forgiving one another of sin, and seek a new and better way forward.
In addition to all of this, leaders within our convention have spoken honestly and forcefully on the pressing issues. For example, Dr. Albert Mohler of Southern Seminary published a report on the practice of slave holding in the SBC, with specific reference to the founding of Southern Seminary. Our sins were not covered up or delegitimized, they were confessed and laid bare.
However, in an effort of sincerity, I believe we may have gone wrong in some of our efforts. I do not say this lightly, but as one who loves the gospel and believes that we must come together in the local church to point us toward the invisible Church, which will be revealed in the last days.
A Wrong Approach to Racial Reconciliation
On October 31, 2019, a prominent SBC leader and entity head wrote on Twitter, “Racial bigotry & injustice are not trifling secondary matters, but are objects of the wrath of God. The gospel is to crucify such satanism and bring about a people modeling love, justice, reconciliation (Eph 2-3). This isn’t a ‘distraction,’ but right at the core of mission.” Purposefully I have decided not to identify this individual by name. This decision is born out of a conviction that such discussions have gotten too personal and I desire in this post not to engage in fighting with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Certainly, you can simply google the quote to see its authorship…but once again, my effort is not to draw sides, but seek a biblical approach to racial reconciliation. (My inclusion of this quote is in no way a statement of my general convictions regarding this leader, but merely an illustration of what I believe to be the wrong approach to racial reconciliation.)
You ask – “What is the problem with his statement? Surely racial bigotry is a big issue to the Christian? Surely racism is antithetical to the gospel? Surely you believe that racism is satanic?”
The problem with the above statement and, frankly, what makes it so dangerous is that it is a mixture of truth and error. It offers an agreeable truth statement, but then instructs a misguided and erroneous solution to our ill.
Here’s what I mean:
- Truth – “Racial bigotry & injustice are not trifling secondary matters, but are objects of the wrath of God.”
- Mostly true – “The gospel is to crucify such satanism and bring about a people modeling love, justice, reconciliation (Eph 2-3).”
- Error – “This isn’t a ‘distraction,’ but right at the core of mission.” (“Mission” defined as the “mission of disciples, mission of gospel believers, mission of the church/denomination to proclaim the gospel.”)
If you may allow me, let me break this down. The first line is wholly true – “Racial bigotry & injustice are not trifling secondary matters, but are objects of the wrath of God.” There are some who would take issue with his use of the word “secondary,” but in an attempt to be concise, I will assume the writer meant that “racial bigotry & injustice” are not matters which the church should be blind to, ignore, condone, or endorse. Rather, such issues are first order in that they speak to our biblical conviction that all men and women are created in the image of God and any form of racism denies this inseparable truth from God’s creative work. All believers must denounce racism and bigotry in all their forms! We believe that God created all men and women in His image and they are due respect, hospitality, cordiality, and our earnest love and graciousness.
The second line is where we begin to go awry…the gospel does produce men and women who model love, justice and reconciliation (Ephesians 2-3). We believe that faith in Jesus changes the whole person. We were saved to be “conformed into the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29). And YES, Jesus calls his followers to crucify our sin daily, to take up our cross, and to rid ourselves of sin by killing that sin every day (Galatians 5:24 and Luke 9:23).
However, in this second line, our subject fails to highlight the gospel essential – it is not in our work that the gospel, the good news, is accomplished; rather it is in the complete, finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf! For it was Jesus, who was crucified. The oppressed was crucified for the sins of the oppressors. It was the One who knew no sin who became sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus declared, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Jesus died for those who crucified Him. Jesus died for my sin. Jesus died for my “satanic” works. Jesus died for my sin and to reconcile me to my Creator, even while I was an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). John Piper said it well, “Every aspect of the way God views and saves sinners is designed to undermine racism and lead to a reconciled and redeemed humanity from every people group in the world” (Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian).
You can preach against racial bigotry and injustice by preaching the gospel – that Jesus died for me and every tribe and tongue, that Jesus died to reconcile the nations, that Jesus died to restore what the enemy had destroyed (ethnic harmony). But you are not “necessarily” preaching the gospel by focusing on racial bigotry and injustice.
Perhaps I can illustrate it like this – Nelson Mandela famously said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Now we may have a discussion about what is right and what is wrong with this statement (specifically given our belief in the doctrine of original sin [man being born with a sin nature]), but many people believe it is possible to teach people to love others who are not like them. And there is empirical evidence that man can become quite moral (though this does not absolve his sin before a Holy God). And while this statement may be applauded by Christians, it says nothing of the gospel! It says nothing of the blessed hope we have in Christ Jesus. In other words, it certainly points to a moral revolution, but does so without understanding that that moral revolution will fail ultimately because it is not anchored in the One who died for the forgiveness of sin and that the gospel is the only thing that transforms the whole person to conformation in the image of Jesus Christ – who died to forgive us and transform us.
Any attempt to preach moralism on any level, whether it be on racism, homosexuality, greed, pride, or any other sin; fails to proclaim the gospel, which has the power to make dead men alive. This is the crux of the issue – does preaching any morality (even if it is a supremely, first-order, morality such as racism) produce believers in Christ? And the answer is NO. It is not a preaching of morality that changes man, nor is it in legislating morality. Our morality is changed through the preaching of Jesus Christ, crucified for sin, that transforms the whole human condition from the inside out (Matthew 7:17-18 and Ephesians 2-3).
It is possible to preach “Christ-likeness” without ever preaching Christ. It is possible to preach on acting like Christ, without ever leading the person to Christ, which is the only solution to our problem. We strip the power of the gospel from the gospel when we tell people to act like Christ, without ever telling them what Christ did at Calvary on their behalf.
Which leads us to the third line – “This isn’t a ‘distraction,’ but right at the core of mission.” At this point, I have to make an assumption. I believe it is a right assumption, but should the author of this statement disagree, he may certainly respond. My assumption is this – when he says, “but right at the core of mission,” he is referring to the mission of the Church (at large) and the SBC (in specific). In other words, he is talking about what the church/Church/SBC is supposed to be doing – what is our mission?
We believe that our mission is found in Acts 1 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (1:8). Jesus said that our (the church/Church/SBC) mission is to be “witnesses” of His work on His behalf and to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19 in parallel) from our home to the ends of the earth.
The author presents his case as though ending “racial bigotry and injustice” is the core mission of the church. That is simply not true!
Before you jump all over me, let me be clear – every blood bought saint in Jesus Christ is against racial bigotry and injustice! But those sins are merely the outworking of a larger condition – man’s sin nature. Therefore, the only way you get rid of racial bigotry and injustice and all other forms of sin is to proclaim the gospel – to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Here’s the summary – The above quote is a form of moralistic preaching. If we suppose that the “core of our mission” is to preach against racism, we have failed. We may succeed in convincing men and women not to be racist (though I don’t believe we will even succeed in that endeavor), but all we have done is made dead men and women morally better for their journey to eternal damnation. The “core of our mission” is to tell men and women of the work of Christ, which leads them to repentance of sin (including racism) and belief in Christ Jesus. This belief in Jesus Christ then leads them to conformation into the image of Christ, which means the crucifixion of sin such as racism and the more.
I believe the author, like all of us, realizes the gravity of the sin of racism and seeks to see the church crucify this sin within our ranks and reflect the ethnically inclusive and diverse call of Christ to faith…But in calling us to singularly focus on racism, we strip the message of the power of the gospel – Christ became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.
Simply put, this is the wrong approach. All sin is “satanic.” All sin is deserving of the “wrath of God.” But by singularly focusing on one sin, we are no better than those who preached as though homosexuality were the unpardonable sin. In other words, knowing the belief of the author considering homosexuality (that homosexuality is a sin that needs to be redeemed in the cross of Christ), if I substituted homosexuality in his quote, would he still agree? – “Homosexuality is not a trifling secondary matter, but is the object of the wrath of God. The gospel is to crucify such satanism and bring about a people….this isn’t a ‘distraction,’ but right at the core of mission.” I would suggest he would not agree with this quote, nor should he.
The “core of the mission” of the Church and the SBC is to proclaim Christ crucified and resurrected for the remission of sin, that leads to the killing of all sin we find in us – racism, sexual ethic, stealing, pride, greed, and the more.
An Even Worse Approach to Racial Reconciliation – Cultural Intervention
An even more damaging approach to racial reconciliation is to bow to the altar of cultural leadership. This was seen in the passing of Resolution 9 on Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality at the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, 2019.
At this point…you have no idea what I am talking about. Lol. That’s ok…a sketch outline is as follows:
- Critical Race Theory is a worldview that is born out of Marxism and Naturalism. It was born in the legal field, but is beginning to be applied in almost all fields of academic study. It basically means we have to see the world in two categories – “oppressors and oppressed.” You can be an “oppressor” without being a willing accomplice. Simply by being born a white, heterosexual male, you are an oppressor. Likewise, you are “oppressed” without consent, by nature of your ethnicity at birth.
- Intersectionality searches out the levels of this oppression. In other words, if you are a white, heterosexual male, you are born with more advantages and power over a white, heterosexual female who has more advantages and power over a black, heterosexual female who has more advantages over a black, homosexual female…and so on and so on. The more you move away from white, heterosexual male through ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and so forth; the more oppressed you are.
- These two are used for the advancement of identity politics.
I understand the above does not fully discuss Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, but I trust you have a smart phone and can google the terms and do your own research and I include links at the bottom of this post for your further consideration. But the point is fairly simple, it posits certain people against others (whether they willingly participate or not) and the end result is a system in which people are divided along the lines of their sexuality, gender, and ethnicity.
Back to Resolution 9…the SBC passed Resolution 9 which clearly articulated that Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality were subservient to Scripture, but could be used as “analytical tools.” The problem with this resolution is not what it said, but what it didn’t say! It didn’t clearly articulate the worldview of CRT and Intersectionality, instead it designated them as “analytical tools.” The problem with this is that they are not “analytical tools,” they are worldviews that shape your answers to life’s most pressing problems. In short, it is a cultural approach to a problem, as opposed to a biblical approach.
The chairman of the Resolutions Committee repeatedly affirmed that the committee and the SBC by extension, through their vote of affirmation, were stating that CRT is an “analytical tool,” not a worldview. The problem with this is that Southern Baptists are the only ones making this statement! We are saying they are “analytical tools,” while their proponents and founders are shouting – “They are worldviews!” In that context, we do not have the right to redefine them for our own benefit…nor should we! We should reject them as antithetical to the gospel. The Bible defines all man as image bearers. It recognizes social constructs. But the beauty of the gospel is that in Christ, these constructs are destroyed – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). In fact, the bible really only speaks of people divided into two categories – those who believe in Christ (sheep/wheat) and those who do not (goats/tares).
If the Church chooses to fight racism, but espouses a cultural worldview antithetical to the gospel, we will strip our message of its power – the power of the gospel!
The problem of racism cannot be conquered by a cultural response…it must be conquered through the death of Christ for sin and the power of His resurrection that leads to new life! By adopting the cultural response to racism, the Church surrenders…we have given up. By affirming Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, by adopting a culturally popular response to racism, we have UNINTENTIONALLY said that the gospel of Jesus is INSUFFICIENT to address man’s sin.
We didn’t mean to say that…but we did. We said that the Church is not equipped to address the issue of racism and, by extension, all sin. By passing Resolution 9, we told the world that we need sociology to heal our sin of racism, that Jesus was not enough.
One last time…I want to be clear – I assume the best of the Resolutions committee, the SBC leadership, and the SBC messengers. I don’t believe the messengers understood what they were voting on. I believe the leaders who pushed this issue have done so out of a sincere desire to see racial reconciliation. I don’t believe they grasp the subtle message they sent about the gospel. I believe them when they affirm biblical inerrancy and sufficiency. But I believe they/we are in error in our affirmation of CRT and Intersectionality.
I don’t believe they are “liberal.” I don’t believe they are outside the realm of “orthodoxy” – they are sincere believers in Christ. I believe they don’t understand the ramifications of their proposal.
The Church must stand against “racial bigotry and injustice!” But we must do so from a biblical perspective…not a sociological and culturally popular perspective. Society does not have an answer to the sin of racism…but Christ does!
The Only Way for Racial Reconciliation
How do we deal with racism, “racial bigotry and injustice,” and all forms of delegitimizing the image bearers of God? How do we stand up for our fellow man? How do we rid ourselves and this nation of the dark stain of racial hate and animosity?
First, we must understand its source – sin.
In Genesis 11 we have the story of mankind’s disbursement and diversity across the globe. Mankind decided to gather in a single location with all of their wickedness. In their pride, they decided to build a tower. Their gathering in a single place was in direct violation of God’s command – “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). When they went to build the tower, that would reach the heavens, they revealed their sin of pride.
The reader encounters Genesis 11, we gloss over these two realities. We, perhaps, don’t understand the depth of their sin. They were in direct defiance of God. They were deliberately setting themselves up as greater than God. They were declaring that God’s command had no bearing on their life. They were in charge, they were not submissive to their creator, they were the masters of their own destinies.
In some ways, the above approaches to racial reconciliation are a repeat of this same sin – declaring that God’s Word is not enough, not sufficient to dictate our dwelling.
So, God divided them…He confused their languages. He scattered them throughout the globe. In short, sin was the cause of our division…and remains so today. “Racial bigotry and injustice” are symptoms of the cancer that plagues mankind – we are all sinners in need of salvation.
But…and here is our great hope…when we come to the New Testament, we are told of a glorious reunion – “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lam, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).
What John saw was the glorious resolution of the end…he saw the time when time was no more. He saw the people of God gathered around God’s throne, standing before the Lamb (Jesus Christ), and there we find EVERY TRIBE, NATION, PEOPLE, AND LANGUAGE. What the enemy/sin had created, Christ has restored! Their robes were white…why? Because they had been washed in the “blood of the Lamb” (7:14).
They aren’t gathered there because they fought racism…they aren’t there because they stood for a Christian sexual ethic…they aren’t there because they fought against greed, lust, and pride…THEY ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY WERE WASHED IN THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. I’m sure the gathered saints fought against racism, greed, sexual revolutions, pride and the more; but their presence, indeed their racial reconciliation is a result of their shared faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross of Calvary.
For me, the answer of racial reconciliation rests in 1 John 1, specifically verses 5 and 7, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all…But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Well intentioned people are putting their hope in creating a Utopia here in this world – a Utopia in our cities, a Utopia in our states, a Utopia in our country, and a Utopia in the world. They want to create a world in which there is no injustice, no racism, no immorality. They want to create a Utopia in our churches. Their intention in sincere…but it is doomed for failure.
No Utopia will ever exist in this world…not even in our churches. Mankind is devastatingly plagued with the condition of sin. Our hope is in Christ Jesus and the new world He creates! Our hope rests in the redemption found in Christ. Only Christ can heal our wounds, only Christ can redeem our sins, and only Christ can end “racial bigotry and injustice.”
In Sedalia, Missouri, how did we create a diverse church? How did we obtain a diverse staff? How do we fight “racial bigotry and injustice?”
It’s really simple – WE PREACH JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED FOR THE REMISSION OF SIN.
What is the only way for racial reconciliation in the Church and the world? – Proclaim the gospel! If you preach Jesus crucified, the flames of “racial bigotry and injustice” are extinguished, because racism is antithetical to the gospel – they are incompatible. Light and darkness do not have peace. We reach people of every tribe, nation, and tongue because we tell them about Jesus.
And only in Jesus do we find our true common ground, our reconciliation, and our hope.
Helpful Definitions and Links:
Woke – (Modern Oxford Dictionary) “Alert to injustice in society, especially racism.”
Critical Race Theory – (Encyclopedia Britannica) “The view that race, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is socially constructed and that race, as a socially constructed concept, functions as a means to maintain the interests of the white population that constructed it.”
Intersectionality – (Merriam-Webster) “The complex and cumulative way that the effects of different forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, and yes intersect – especially in the experiences of marginalized people or groups.”
https://www.arkansasbaptist.org/post/crt-and-intersectionality-just-analytical-tools – “CRT and intersectionality: just analytical tools?”
https://albertmohler.com/2019/06/14/briefing-6-14-19 – Play “Part 3” for Dr. Albert Mohler’s discussion on Resolution 9, CRT, and Intersectionality. (Dr. Mohler is the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky).